They must really be thinking this EV thing is going to kick into high gear any minute. A whole plant to do nothing but powertrains...

See this is where I see problems in the whole EV field: technology.

Who's gonna want to buy a battery if someone comes out with a super capacitor? Or some exotic magnetic material for the motor? Or even something more realistic like just better parts. Most cars have a 3-5 year production life span. In terms of most technology that's a pretty long time. In terms of warranty and replacement parts that's even longer.

I think until we have technology that surpasses "just good enough" then this is going to be a substantially continual investment just to build a name and platform.

they can transform the plant if they need to but right now it could be the smart thing to do for that company. i agree that the technology will most likely be out of date in s few years, but who knows? could hang on for a while, and even if it doesnt, they can always just rework the plant to build something else.

I have to say, I'm thrilled that our tax dollars are going to Tesla so that they can build toys for rich people!

..........if you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.

Tesla is basically a step sister to the failed GM at this point. Another excessively government funded (as if those loans will ever be paid back) entity focused on special interest. I agree with the government helping expand such industries, but high end autos seems like a stupid way to used money, that the government doesn't even have.

I agree with several points. Tesla was doing fine, only selling what they built, before taking government money. They should have continued that way.

I thought it was a pretty expensive car at first too. The math is not exact, considering everyone's driving needs and pleasures are different, but for me I subtracted 5 years or 150,000 miles (California driving) of:

1 oil and filter change every 5000 miles
2 timing belt changes
2 antifreeze changes & maybe 1 water pump
1 exaust system repair (maybe and maybe not)
$4.00 in electricity every week instead of $60.00 for gasl.
Any state tax breaks??? (federal already deducted from price)

It's just an approximation but that puts the Tesla around 36k - 38k for me, down from 50k. Interesting to see other input and opinions on this.

Battery power is simply not going to be your 15k car at this point in time if you want a car that looks and performs like a gasoline powered car.

@b2man:

Interesting exercise. How did you come up with the $4.00/week electricity tab?

I agree with your last sentence. You're not going to get a "normal-looking" alternative at that price range for some more time. The closest normal-looking "alternative cars" are probably the hybrid Escape, Fusion, Camry, Altima, and those even aren't EVs.

@b2man

You drive 30,000 miles a year? You realize that the average in the US is only 12,000 miles a year....sorry, but it seems like you're over estimating how much you drive in a year.

If you knock it down to the average number of miles a year, you spend a lot less on gas, thus making the actual cost of the car more. Plus since most hybrid / electric cars only have a projected battery life of around 150,000 miles, you'd have to factor in the cost of replacing the battery in there.

I don't find that hard to believe. I put about 30k miles a year on personal vehicles and another 20k or so on company. Not hard to do when all you do some days is drive. Thus leasing, hybrids, and EVs just aren't for me. I either turn them around after a couple years or run them till they die.

@Tote

Saying that EVERYONE in the US drives only 12,000 miles a year is like saying EVERY American family has only 1.9 kids.

@426
I said "average" person. Driving 3 times more than the average person is excessive. Hell, I drive a LOT for my job (consulting) and I don't come anywhere near 30,000 miles in a year. In a really bad year I MIGHT hit 20,000.

In southern California the miles go up quick. I drive 74 miles per day round trip to work and a minimum of another easy 100 miles per week for appointments. My wife drives 23 miles per day round trip. Add in shopping, vacations to Phoenix & Texas, etc, the miles do go up. Everything is "up or down" the freeway between Mojave, Bakersfield, Lancaster, Palmdale and Los Angeles. The problem is everything in SoCal is so spread out. Almost always freeway driving though. At least the Benz is comfortable.

@Kawi:
$4.00 per "fill up" on electricity is what the Tesla website says. I believe I estimated too low in this area though. I should've used my average monthly fuel bill of $411.00, give or take. Though not exact, the ratio would be more like $32.00 to $411.00. Thanks for the input.

Totenglocke:
Thanks. I WOULD have to buy another battery. The long range battery from Tesla is currently $8000.00. But I wouldn't have to buy it for 7 years, (late 2011 for Tesla delivery + 5 years of operation). The cost of these batteries are falling 9.5% per year. Which makes the battery 66.5% cheaper or about 3 grand. About 40k for the car....

Hmmm. I guess the interesting thing for me, providing the car is reliable, is driving a car that looks good, and looks fun to drive. And the thought of never buying gas again..... is a pretty cool thought. Although I will still buy gas for the MB's, Maybe a tank a month and only driving them for pleasure is another cool thought.

Thanks for all the input.

@Tote

Yeah, you said average as if everyone dose it.